Books and Boba

On this episode, we chat with June Hur (author of past book club pick The Silence of Bones) about her latest novel, The Red Palace , her latest mystery novel taking place during Korea's Joseon Dynasty. We ask June about her writing origins, her journey to publishing, and what inspired her to write her unique "Joseon Noir" style stories. Follow June on instagram at @junehwrites and check out her bo...

On this episode, we discuss our January 2022 book club pick She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, a queer re-imagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In the last days of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty reign over China, an unnamed daughter takes on her dead brother's name to survive as a novice monk after her family is attacked by bandits. When that safe haven is also...

It's our first Books & Boba mid-month episode of 2022! Join us as we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: A Gift for Nai Nai by Kim-Hoa Ung Words Between U s by Angela Pham Krans Nine Color Deer by Kailin Duan Hair Oil Magic by Anu Chouhan Take Me to Laolao by Kelly Zhang See Us Bloom by Kyunghee Kim Last Flight Ou...

On this last episode of Books & Boba in 2021, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our December 2021 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: The Traveler's Guide to Geozoology by Angela Hsieh My Indigo World: A True Story About the Color Blue by Rosa Chang Mango Memories by Sita Singh All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan Love...

On this episode, we welcome back author Fonda Lee to chat about her latest novel, Jade Legacy , the conclusion of her Green Bone Saga trilogy. We last had Fonda on the show four years ago when she had just published Jade City, the first book in the series. We catch up with Fonda's thoughts on the growth of Asian-inspired fantasy over the last few years, as well as chat about the themes and inspira...

On this episode, we chat with author Julie Tieu about her debut novel The Donut Trap, A romantic comedy and adult coming-of-age story about the post-college ennui of Jasmine Tran, who finds herself jobless and directionless as she spends her days working at her parent's donut shop in the SGV, that is until a missed connection shows back up in her life and she finds herself torn between familial ex...

On this episode, we discuss our November 2021 book club pick On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong , a  tale of a son writing a letter to his illiterate mother and processing the legacy of trauma he has inherited from being a Vietnamese refugee as well as growing up as a poor queer boy in America. We talk through our thoughts and explore the themes of this very dense and beautifully writt...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our November 2021 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: Rebecca F. Kuang - Yellowface Julie Kagawa - Fateless Maurene Goo - Throwback Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra - Magic Has No Borders Lisa Ko - Jackie and Giselle Paula Yoo - Rising from the Ashes Jennifer Chen - Arti...

On this episode, we chat with author June CL Tan about her debut novel Jade Fire Gold , a Xianxia inspired fantasy novel full of dark magic, martial arts, and intrigue. We chat with June about her inspirations in writing Jade Fire Gold, as well as her journey as a debut author pitching an Asian inspired fantasy novel.  Follow June on instagram at @junescribbles and check out their book Jade Fire G...

On this episode, we discuss our October 2021 book club pick The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo, a classic detective murder mystery taking place in post-war Japan. Private investigator Kosuke Kindaichi is pulled into the family drama of the wealthy Inugami Family after the patriarch dies and leaves a mysterious will, what follows is a series of chilling murders  that unearth the past grudges and...

On this episode, we chat with debut author Xiran Jay Zhao about their debut novel Iron Widow , a Sci-Fi/Fantasy re-imagining of Chinese Empress Wu Zetian's rise to power in an Asian inspired world with giant monsters and fantastical mechas. Pitched as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale, Iron WIdow tells the story of how a driven and rage-filled girl from the sticks rises through the ranks as a...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our October 2021 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari Enly and the Buskin' Blues by Jenny Liu What’s Between Your Hands by Mitali Perkins Mr. Panda and the Red Flower by Jackie Huang Tiny Mochi...

On this episode, we welcome author Chandra Prasad, who joins us to chat about her latest novel Mercury Boys . We chat with Chandra about her origins as a writer, as well as what inspired her to write Mercury Boys, a genre-blending novel featuring teen melodrama mixed with some low-fi sci-fiction and fantasy (oh and also hot boys from the past)! Follow Chandra on twitter at @chandrabooks and check...

On this episode, we discuss our Books & Boba September 2021 pick Chemistry by Weike Wang, an adult coming-of-age novel about an ex-overachieving chemistry PhD candidate at a crossroads in her life, despite having what some might consider a perfect life. This was a humorous story chock full of moments that will resonate with any disaffected millennial, especially if you are a child of immigrant...

We welcome back author C.B. Lee for her third appearance on the podcast to talk to us about her latest novel, A Clash of Steel , part of the "Classics Remixed" series from Macmillan, A Clash of Steel reimagines the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story Treasure Island, resetting the tale in the South China Sea in the golden age of Chinese piracy with a classic C.B. Lee twist. We chat with C.B. abou...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our September 2021 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: Zeba Shahnaz -  Midnight Strikes Emiko Jean  - Mika in Real Life Livia Blackburne -  Clementine and Danny Save the World (and Each Other) A.Y. Hashitate - Selfiesby Sumie Mai K. Nguyen -  Anzu and the Realm of Darknes...

On this episode, we chat with debut author Michelle Quach about her upcoming YA novel Not Here To Be Liked , an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about Eliza, who's dreams of becoming the Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper gets crushed when the more popular (and less qualified) Lem gets the position instead. In her anger she pens a manifesto that accidentally gets published online and El...

On this episode, we discuss our  August 2021 pick is Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, a YA coming-of-age story set against the background of Philippine's President Duterte's war on drugs. Jay is a bored Filipino American teen in the midst of some major senioritis when he learns that his cousin Jun, who he was once close with, was killed as part of Duterte's purge of drug pushers and addict...

On this episode, we chat with author Amanda Jayatissa about her debut novel My Sweet Girl , a thriller about a woman trying to unravel the mystery behind her roommate's death (and the subsequent disappearance of his body), which leads face to face toa reckoning decades in the making that stems back to her own adoption from Sri Lanka. We chat with Amanda about her journey as a writer, including her...

On this episode, we chat with author Meredith Ireland about her debut YA novel The Jasmine Project , a romantic comedy about a girl named Jasmine, freshly "on-break" with her kinda shitty boyfriend, who's loving and meddlesome family sets up a makeshift Bachelorette style dating competition for her... without her knowledge of course. We have a fun chat with Meredith about her journey as a writer,...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our August 2021 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle - Ebony Gate C.B. Lee - A Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe Alice Lin - Fireworks Trang Thanh Tran - She Is a Haunting Susie Lee Jin - Not an Egg ; Not a Pumpkin ; and Not a Heart Tara Sim - We...

On this episode, we chat with author Andrea Wang about her new middle grade novel The Many Meaning of Meilan , a coming of age story about a Chinese American girl who finds strength in the many meanings of her name as she struggles to adjust to moving from Boston's Chinatown to a small town in Ohio. We chat with Andrea about her journey to becoming a childen's book author and her inspirations for...

On this episode, we discuss our July 2021 book club pick, An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim, a Sci-Fi time travel novel about a woman who journeys to the future as an indentured worker to save the life of the man she loves in the midst of a global pandemic. The story follows her struggles as a temporally migrant worker as she tries to find her way home while dealing with the aftermath of a devastati...

On this episode, we chat with author Emiko Jean about her latest novel Tokyo Ever After , a YA story about a Japanese American girl from Northern California who finds out she's actually an imperial princess of Japan. We chat with Emiko about her journey as a writer, and how it led her to write her latest novel. Follow Emiko on IG at @emikojeanbooks and check out her book Tokyo Ever After at your l...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our July 2021 mid-month check-in!  *Support the podcast by purchasing books at our bookshop * Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Facebook Twitter Goodreads Group The Books & Boba July 2021 pick is An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim This podcast is part of Po...